Island



(No Model.)

C. A. HAMMETT'.

CARPET SWBEPER.

No. 461,831. Patented Oot. 2'7, 1891-.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE A. HAMMETT, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,831, dated October 27, 1891.

Application filed March 8, 1890. Serial No. 343.207. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it kno wn that I, CLARENCE A. HAMMETT, a-citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in the county of Newport and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improved Carpet-Sweeper, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the well-known class of carpet-sweepers, so.

called, comprising a rotating brush and a pan for receiving the dirt, ttc., taken up from the Hoor by the brush.

In the drawings, Figure l is an end View in vertical section of a carpet-sweeper embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same, showing particularly the irnproved manner of supporting the pan; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pan detached.

In carrying out my improvement I do not, as heretofore, support the pan upon the case or frame of the carpet-sweeper in such a manner that its lip or edge over which the dust is delivered into it shall be ata fixed distance above the surface to be swept, but support the pan at or near one of its ends pivotally upon the frame-that is to say, so that the pan by its own gravity shall at or near its opposite end or that portion where the dust is received into it rest upon and be supported by the carpet or other surface to be cleaned. At the same time I so construct the pan that while supported and sliding upon the carpet its edge shall be slightly raised, so that it will not catch in the carpet when pushed overl it. A convenient method of doing this is illustrated in the drawings, in which A represents the pan hung to the frame on points or pivots B, which are set to one side of the center of gravity of the pan, and thus permit it to fall upon and be supported by the carpet or other surface to be cleaned. In order that the pan so supported may slide freely over the carpet when the sweeper is' used, its edge is slightly raised, as above described. In the device as seen in the drawings this is done by means of runners D, attached to the front corners of the pan, as shown in the drawings, whereby the edge of the pan will be slightly lifted, while at the same time the device as a whole can be moved freely over the carpet in any direction.

and emptying are prevented.

It is evident that the pans being loosely connected to the frame and supported in part upon the surface to be swept will fall down out of the frame and empty their contents when the sweeper is lifted off the floor unless suitable catches be provided to prevent this. Accordingly I have provided catches G, preferably formed of resilient materiah'as shown, located slightly below but in the path of opposed portions of the pan-as, for example, the lips E. These catches are enough below the lips to let the pan play up and down freely to accommodate itself to inequalities in the surface to be swept and to follow the same; but when the sweeper is lifted from the floor the pans on dropping a little are engaged by the catches, and so their accidental upsetting W hen it is desired to empty the pan, these springs G, being withdrawn by appropriate mechanism from under the projections E, will allow lthe pan to drop and discharge its contents. This feature, however, of discharging the pan by withdraw ing a spring and allowing it to drop is not broadly new with me, but has heretofore been employed. As a convenient means of operating the springs I have represented a pressknob K and abutments N so arranged that pressing down upon the knob will release the springs from engagement with the pan and allow it to drop.

The escape of dust between the rear of the pan and the case may be conveniently prevented by means of a strip F of any flexible material, as shown, and for a similar purpose projections II maybe placed upon the sides of the ends of the pan to prevent dust escaping through the opening I, at which the brush L is inserted and removed.

l. In a carpet-sweeper having a rotating brush, a dust-pan connected at or near one end by a pivotal connection to the frame of the sweeper and supported at or near its opposite end upon the surface to be swept, the said pan being provided with a raised dustreceiving edge, as set forth.

2. In a carpet-sweeper of the character described, the combination, with adust-pan pivotallyconnected at or near one end of the frame of the sweeper and supported at or near its opposite end upon the surface to be swept IOO and having a dust-receiving edge, of catches normally out of contact with the pan when sweeping, but adapted to engage with it and prevent its falling when the sweeper is lifted, as set forth.

3. In a carpet-sweeper of the character described, the combination, with a`dustpan pivotally connected at or near one end of the frame of the sweeper and supported at or near its opposite end upon the surface to be swept and having a clust-receiving edge, 'of catches normally out of contact with the pan when sweeping, but adapted to engage with it and prevent its falling when the sweeper is lifted,

as set forth, and mechanism, substantially as 15 described, for freeing the catches when it is desired to dump the pan.

CLARENCE A. HAMMETT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES M. CoTrRnLL, HENRY G. HAMMETT. 

